This Week In Streaming: April 11, 2019

Image Courtesy: IMDB

TVF Tripling Season 2
Streaming on: TVFPlay & SonyLIV

“ Would you ever consider a road trip with your siblings?...It could be fun, you know”

The first season of TVF Tripling came out in 2016 with the concept of an impromptu road trip between siblings Chandan, Chanchal and Chitvan from Mumbai to Manali via Jodhpur, and was probably one of the first Indian originals on YouTube.Despite an interesting premise, some hilarious dialogues and the now-iconic ‘ma-da-pha-ka’ song, the show’s trajectory kept dipping with every consecutive episode. Unfortunately, season 2 treads down the same path.

A quick recap of season 1 seems prudent here. Chandan, the oldest brother in the midst of a messy divorce, meets his rad deejaying brother Chitvan and decide to take an impromptu road trip to Jodhpur, where their modern sister Chanchal grapples through her married life as a Rani sa in an antiquated palace. Together the three siblings (who btw, haven't spoken to each other in years) head off to meet their parents in Manali, with unnecessary supporting characters and predictable sermons in tow. The season ends in a confusing finale at Manali (all happy endings).

Image Courtesy: IMDB

In Season 2, Chandan’s bestselling debut book Tripling (self five!) causes friction between him and Chanchal, and Chitvan is, as usual, amusingly random. The three siblings again head out on a road trip, this time from Delhi to Gangtok via Kolkata and Lucknow. Saying anything more about the season is over simplistic and quite needless. After just the first two episodes, one can predict the ending accurately, despite the cliffhangers at each episode. The story is contrived, overly simplistic and confused in places. It's particularly sad that the main cast of Sumeet Vyas, Maanvi Gagroo and Amol Parashar- fine, talented actors who are totally convincing as the three bickering siblings - end up as victims of the terrible writing.

Apart from the story (which could really do with a lot of reworking), everything else in Tripling works. The dialogues, including carry-forwards from the previous season such as ‘ Baba, you’re beautiful’ and ‘Jijaji Baanj Hai’ are witty and also, quite creative! The other aspect that works beautifully in Tripling is the background score, incorporating musical elements of each of the cities the siblings visit. The cinematography, with sweeping views of the mountains, Ganges and monasteries, are simply breathtaking. The side characters - Kubra Sait as Sheetal, Gajraj Rao as Prince Alexander (yep, you read that right), Shweta Tripathi as Begum Zainab and Rajit Kapur as Satyanveshi (90s kids, squeal in delight!) - shine despite their exaggerated characters and limited screentime.

Image Courtesy: IMDB

The best character in both seasons of TVF Tripling has to be the chilled-out Chitwan/Chits. The character, despite the lack of story evolution, is hilarious, unpredictable and sometimes, unexpectedly profound. It is his lines that garner the most laughs and his lanky presence that fills the screen. In this season we get to see more of Chitvan’s mature and tender side as well, and it is a treat to watch those scenes. I’m pretty sure that a compilation of all of Chitvan’s scenes would be funnier than the whole series put together, and would probably be better than the sequel. Baba, YOU are beautiful (and maybe deserving of a light-hearted spin-off series of your own too!)!!

TVF Tripling 2 however, is far from beautiful. I hope the makers aren’t planning a season three. If they are, I sincerely hope they’re developing a more structured storyline, with a little more focus on the character arcs and a little less focus on the sponsors.

Verdict: Don’t go into the series with a lot of expectations. It's okay for timepass, I guess. Don't miss any of Chits' bits though!

P.S: I can't believe it took the makers 2 seasons to allude to the ' Chandan sa badan ' song in the series!!